Church of England votes against allowing women to become bishops

ELEANOR HALL: Heading overseas again, the Church of England has voted against allowing women to become bishops.

Critics say the move reflects badly on the church and puts it out of step with the wider community, including with parts of the Anglican Church in other countries, like Australia.

Timothy McDonald has our report.

TIMOTHY MCDONALD: The vote followed hours of debate.

The bishops and clergy in the Church's legislature, the General Synod, backed the change.

The lay members were just four votes short of the two-thirds majority.

The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu read out the results.

JOHN SENTAMU: It was carried in the House of Bishops and Clergy, and lost in the House of Laity.

TIMOTHY MCDONALD: Advocates for the cause say they're devastated.

The Reverend Rachel Weir is chairwoman of the group Women and the Church.

RACHEL WEIR: It's lost by a handful of votes in one house. Overall 75, 74 per cent of the votes cast today were in favour, so you know, we've got something badly wrong in the Church of England that we can't actually deliver this after all this time.

TIMOTHY MCDONALD: For many who voted against, the devil was in the details.

One contentious measure would have enabled parishes who do not accept female bishops to request a male bishop who shares their beliefs.

For some conservatives, the move didn't go far enough. For some who backed women bishops, it sounded like discrimination.

Christopher Corbett is a member of the House of Laity.

CHRISTOPHER CORBETT: I voted against it. Not that I'm against women bishops but I'm very concerned that a lot of people who do find it difficult to have women bishops and their position I felt wasn't properly protected by the terms of the measure.

TIMOTHY MCDONALD: Australia already has three women bishops.

The Church of England is a separate entity, so the vote won't affect them.

Genieve Blackwell is the regional assistant bishop in Wagga Wagga in the Diocese of Canberra and Goulbourn.

GENIEVE BLACKWELL: I haven't actually seen the details of the motion so there just may be nuances in that that I'm not aware of. But yes I think that it will be hard for the wider community to understand.

TIMOTHY MCDONALD: She says the community generally has been very positive about having a woman as a bishop.

Genieve Blackwell says Anglican churches internationally haven't always arrived at the same conclusion as the Church of England.

GENIEVE BLACKWELL: The Church of England is actually playing catch-up with the wider communion. I mean, I'm the 31st woman bishop to be consecrated and at the same time as the General Synod has actually made that decision, in South Africa the first woman bishop has been consecrated in the continent of Africa.

TIMOTHY MCDONALD: But in Australia too, there are some Anglicans who aren't comfortable with women as bishops.

Gavin Poole is the pastor at Cherrybrook Anglican Church.

He's also the president of the Anglican Church League.

He's welcomed the Church of England's decision to vote down the measure.

GAVIN POOLE: We celebrate a difference in gender and I believe that there are different roles given to us, and these are god-given roles and that we are best to follow those.

TIMOTHY MCDONALD: Do you think that would put you out of step with the wider community?

GAVIN POOLE: I suspect it would. I don't think we should be surprised when those who halt the biblical teachings in the church appear out of step with the community.

TIMOTHY MCDONALD: The vote will shelve any further consideration of the move until a new General Synod comes into being in 2015, unless senior members of the Synod agree to make an exception.

The House of Bishops of the Church of England will meet in an emergency session to consider the consequences of the vote.